And the Byzantine Empire flourished, spreading across what was formerly Western Rome. From Europe to the Middle East to North Africa, the Byzantine Empire spanned the Mediterranean. However, as the empire evolved to become Europe’s most powerful, some of the seeds of its demise were already being sown.
As you can see, the development was not without its challenges. For one thing, Emperor Justinian ran up massive debts, which he forced his subjects to pay through onerous taxes. The Byzantine army was also finding it increasingly difficult to protect all of the empire’s expanded territory from other ambitious civilizations. And this was all before the spread of a new religion known as Islam.